Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Ryanair from “hold” to “strong sell,” despite the broader analyst consensus remaining “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $73.97.
• Ryanair shares opened at $55.41, near their 52-week low of $53.14 and below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages of approximately $61.39 and $61.27.
• The airline’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with earnings per share of $1.19 versus the $1.37 consensus estimate and revenue of $5 billion versus expectations of $5.06 billion.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

RYAAY has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ryanair from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Friday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $62.90 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.97.

Ryanair Price Performance

NASDAQ:RYAAY opened at $55.41 on Monday. Ryanair has a 1 year low of $53.14 and a 1 year high of $74.24. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $61.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.27. The company has a market cap of $28.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.16.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.23%. The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.06 billion. On average, analysts expect that Ryanair will post 3.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Paul Mcguinness sold 9,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.56, for a total value of $275,572.44. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 14,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $394,245.80. This trade represents a 41.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Jh Hurley sold 15,000 shares of Ryanair stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.24, for a total transaction of $468,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 76,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,375,021. The trade was a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Ryanair by 280.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ryanair by 76.0% during the third quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Ryanair by 2,929.4% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 515 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Ryanair by 39.4% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 584 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 653 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish low-cost airline group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, the company grew into one of Europe's largest budget carriers by offering point-to-point scheduled passenger services with an emphasis on low fares, high aircraft utilization and rapid turnaround times. Ryanair serves a broad network across Europe and nearby regions, focusing on both intra-European leisure travel and short-haul business routes.

The group primarily operates a single-type fleet based on the Boeing 737 family, supplemented by a mix of in-house and subsidiary airlines that help serve different markets and regulatory environments.

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